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Updated on
October 30, 2007,
C.R.
asks from
Duluth, MN
on
October 28, 2007

3 Year Old Not Peeing

Hi moms,
Thursday afternoon my son's preschool called and ask me to come take my child to the potty because everytime they tried to take him he would scream "no". I went to his school and he went with me but wasn't happy to do it. I thought it was anxiety. Saturday night he got a fever and I gave him some tylenol and he went to bed. Sunday he still had a fever and was lathargic. I took him to the immediate care and they said he had a virus and told me to treat it with Motrin. As of 5:30 pm on Sunday he has only gone pee twice for the day and is still feeling bad. I was just wondering if it could be something more than a virus. Thanks moms

So What Happened?™

Well I did take him to his doctor and they tested his urine and there is nothing to suggest there is a UTI. I guess he just has anxiety about peeing now! We also think he might be too young for preschool if he can't pee there and we'll stop taking him and try again next year. He just turned 3 in August. Thanks again for all your responses!

Featured Answers

L.S.
answers from
Chicago
on
October 28, 2007

Hi C.!

I would suggest taking him in to the doctor's first thing tomorrow morning. He could have a UTI and they can test for that in the office. Usually a fever is a sign that the body is fighting off some type of illness and if it's bacterial you'll want to know so you can get it treated. Good luck!

Ask him if it hurts when he pees. It could be a urinary track infection. He may be holding his potty in until he really has to go because it hurts or burns when he goes. If yes, get him to your doctor for antibiotics. Also, pump him full of cranberry juice...it helps with the urinary track. Hope he feels better soon!

I agree that it is very possibly a UTI...it makes one not want to pee. However, not peeing can make the UTI worse. Also, what is his main drink during the day? It should be water. Especially now. You can add lemon and lime pieces to the water to give it some taste. You can also give him watered down cranberry juice (sugar free only).

We just went thru this with my 2-year-old. Please, please take him to the doctor ASAP - he may have a bladder infection, which can be very serious, we learned. Our little girl had fever, lethargy and eventually vomitting and the tests they put her thru were horrid for her and us, but now we have her on the road to recovery. Good luck, and I hopey our son is feeling better soon.

I would suggest taking him in to the doctor's first thing tomorrow morning. He could have a UTI and they can test for that in the office. Usually a fever is a sign that the body is fighting off some type of illness and if it's bacterial you'll want to know so you can get it treated. Good luck!

I would have though of a bladder or kidney infection. A virus not letting your child urinate seems slightly strange to me. Why would it start before the fever. The body needs lots of fluids when it is sick so I could see not urinating then. To refuse to urinate could be a sign of pain in the urithra (spelling). I hope they checked him for that. My kids were sick a lot. The only time my son would not urinate was when he had a bladder infection.

You have to keep them hydrated. My 3 1/2 yr. old son just went throutgh this: He had a high fever of 104 at night, so we bathed him in lukewarm water to drop his temp and gave him Motrin. The next day i took him in to his pediatrician and he was diagnosed with a double ear infection and the begginings of strep! Dr. said you have to keep them hydrated b/c with a high fever, their body is literally burning up and off any fluids they have in them. The better hydrated they stay, the more their fever will stay down. But, since he was'nt taking in alot of fluids and his body was burning it off, he was'nt peeing often either. Also, some boys are weird about peeing somewhere unfamiliar. My son also did this when he was healthy. It was a phase...the longer he went being potty trained, the less it bothered him to pee somewhere other than home! Good luck!

Hi C.
This is just a thought, but, Urinary tract infection?
That would cause all of the symptoms ...I know urgency is one with a UTI but honestly I don't get that and I know the burning makes ME not want to pee. Just a thought! Good luck!! If it doesn't get better soon, make sure you take him back to the doc.

It definitely sounds like dehydration. We had this with our 4 year old, brought on by a virus with a few days of fevers, the doctors told us give her as much "clear" liquids as possible and let her get her calories there (rather than food since her appetite was decreased). He said: clear soup, popsicles, sprite, gatorade, pedialite, apple juice, and of course water. She did not pee for REALLY long periods of time until she was rehydrated and when she would it was very concentrated - dark yellow. Good luck!